Badburn Release New Single “Law Of The Scale”

Filipino hardcore pioneers Badburn — known in the local underground scene for their uncompromising sound and intense, almost confrontational performances — have released a new single, “Law Of The Scale,” on October 31, 2025.

Described in a press release as “a crushing anthem of reckoning where truth cuts through deception and balance comes for all who test its edge,” It is Badburn’s first single and new release since 2011’s “Only For The Strong,” which followed two earlier albums and an EP.

“Law Of The Scale” was recorded at Tower Of Doom Studios in August of this year, and is the first of more new music to come from the hardcore veterans, as they are busy completing a new full-length album, set for release in 2026. 

“We don’t claim to have mapped the contours of today’s hardcore, but these new songs feel like they’ve earned their place in it,” the band says in a joint statement. “It’s not about keeping up. It’s about showing up with something honest that still hits hard. They carry the weight of where we’ve been and somehow still speak the language of where it’s all going.”

Badburn were formed in 1994, with vocalist Marben Romero as the only member remaining from the original lineup. They started gaining attention in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, gigging regularly with the likes of Sandwich and other rock acts of that era at productions like Sunday Grabe Sunday and Admit One, exposing their brand of hardcore to a wider audience. This led them to be signed to MCA Universal, which released Badburn’s first album Bound By Blood in 2001. Their subsequent records — the Darkness Rising EP (2003) and second album Crack The Weakened Surface (2010) — were produced and released independently.

Badburn is currently composed of Romero, drummer Joey Valverde, and guitarists Gilchrist Tan and Bike Buick Viñas. Bassist Joy Legason suddenly passed away the morning after the band’s most recent gig on October 17, but the band has announced that they will proceed with their ‘Heavy Is The Hand’ bar tour starting on November 8, 2025 with a show at Mang Rudy’s Bar in Makati City with Arcadia, Hampaslupa, and other acts.

Listen to Badburn’s “Law Of The Scale” below:

Jason Caballa

Managing Editor

Currently the Managing Editor at Billboard Philippines, Jason Caballa's career in music journalism has spanned decades, having most notably served as Music Editor of PULP Magazine and then Associate Editor for the now-defunct Pinoytuner.com.

He has also contributed music articles for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Rogue Magazine, Mabuhay Magazine, and other print publications from as early as his college years. After shifting to advertising as a copywriter in several agencies, he has returned to documenting local and international music with the establishment of Billboard Philippines in 2023.

Having been a musician himself in Manila's rock and indie scenes since the late '90s, Jason is often inclined towards featuring bands and recording artists who come from that world, as his firsthand experiences allow him to come up with insightful angles and questions for his subjects, resulting in unique and in-depth stories.

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